High occupancy is expected in the winter destinations for the festive period – What the president of the hoteliers assessed

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The president of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers Grigoris Tassios speaks of a very strong fortnight

Hotel occupancy is expected to be high for the Christmas and New Year holiday period, although it is still too early to record exact booking figures. It is certain that the Christmas period for the destinations that have theme parks, such as Drama and Trikala, will move with very high occupancy. The president of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers confirms this to APE-MBE Grigoris Tasios, making for a very strong fortnight.

The coupon that will be given for winter tourism will also help in this development, adds Mr. Tassios. In any case, Mr. Tassios is worried about the period after the holidays, since he points out that the next festive season is coming in March, with all that this implies for the viability of the hotel units. “At the end of 2022 we have a very good year that seems to be reaching the numbers of 2019, but we have a very difficult winter ahead of us, as 1,500 hotel businesses are anxious for the next day and especially those that operate in the mountainous massif and in mainland Greece” .

On the same wavelength and the president of the Union of Hoteliers of Drama, Aggelos Kallias and a member of the XEE, who emphasizes to APE-MPE that, yes, the Drama with Oniroupolis will star in full on Christmas and New Year, however, the great anxiety is what will happen after January 15, as he specifically mentions. However, as far as Drama and the wider region are concerned, the search for accommodation has started since the beginning of Autumn, indicative of the importance of theme parks in Greek winter destinations.

Peloponnese: Traditionally Taygetos and Parnonas fill the Christmas period

With Athens as a starting point for another festive period, the road destinations will be the protagonists, despite the pinched price of gasoline, as estimated in APE-MPE by Dimitris Pollalis, president of the Association of Hoteliers of Laconia. The Peloponnese will of course have its fair share of the winter season this year. The wider area of ​​Monemvasia will move with very high occupancy, since there are significant pre-bookings. However, in Arcadia, mountainous Corinthia and other mountainous areas, occupancy is expected to exceed 90%, as Mr. Pollalis emphasizes. Traditionally, Taygetos and Parnonas are full, says Mr. Pollalis and expresses the assessment that this year’s occupancy will eventually reach 100% in these destinations. In any case, an accurate estimate of hotel occupancy will be available after December 10th.

Epirus: With high occupancy, it awaits the holiday season

Epirus, which has managed to reach very satisfactory levels of tourism in its mountainous mass, awaits the holiday season with high occupancy, throughout the summer and until mid-November.

As the Regional Governor of Epirus pointed out Alexandros Kahrimanis, Epirus has succeeded in highlighting its diversity, combining mountain, sea and city break, opened up new markets and invests in all thematic forms of tourism. “After covid we have recovered while at the same time upgrading and offering even more quality services and quality accommodation”.

Ioannina: In Zagori from the middle of June onwards the occupancy rates were extremely high

Ioannina continues to receive visitors at this time of year due to school trips and conferences. In Zagori from the middle of June onwards the occupancy rates were extremely high, with Israelis occupying the highest percentage. “Until mid-November, the Israelis kept coming and the accommodation was full of Greeks and foreigners. Now there is a “belly” but it is something normal for the season, while during the holidays it is predicted that the accommodations will be fully booked again”, noted the Elsa ExarchouTourism Development Advisor of the Region of Epirus.

Olympus: Optimism that the holidays will greatly stimulate the market and tourist traffic

In the area of ​​Olympus, Pieria there is optimism and everything shows that the holidays will greatly stimulate the market and tourist traffic, as the president of the Hotels says Iraklis Tsitlakidis. “However, the holidays are not enough for businesses to be sustainable. There are destinations in Pieria that have traffic all year round but also others that are mainly winter, such as Elatochori for example. Occupancies are currently hovering around 60% but it’s still early days and will definitely go up. The truth is that in addition to the pandemic, the energy crisis and inflation created a big problem, especially in domestic tourism, which is also our main supplier in the winter. However, vouchers and social tourism programs give a significant “breather” and we hope that things will improve even more, as we are an attractive destination and in the center of mainland Greece with easy access”, noted Mr. Tsitlakidis.

Eastern Macedonia: With steady steps and good occupancy, it is moving towards Christmas

The region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, which invests in 12-month tourism, is moving towards Christmas with steady steps and good occupancy rates, as reported by the appointed Tourism Advisor of PAM-Th Athanasios Tsonis. “After a very successful summer season, continuing the actions dictated by our strategic planning for the development of the entire region, we see response and interest from the world and winter. Now, both Alexandroupoli and Kavala have become city break destinations and have very high occupancy rates, while there is also great interest from visitors in Xanthi, which offers a winter destination and nature excursions, just like Drama and Komotini. At the same time, in addition to the theme park of Oniroupolis, we see a corresponding initiative to create a theme park (the Pinocchio Park) in Komotini, as well as the creation of a Christmas village in Soufli and elsewhere. It is important to strengthen in this way the work of the Region, which has invested very dynamically in tourism and the results are already evident”, underlined Mr.Tsonis.

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